Shadowing Practice: What Really Happens When a Child Goes Missing? | Slow English Story (A2) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 277 sentences and 1101 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:35. The speaker talks slowly, about 71 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

14 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• gate /ˈɡeɪ̯t/ (noun) — A doorlike structure outside a house.
• scare /skɛɚ/ (verb) — To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
• sweetheart /ˈswiːtˌhɑːt/ (noun) — A person who is always very kind.
• passenger /ˈpæs.ɪn.d͡ʒɚ/ (noun) — One who rides or travels in a vehicle, but who does not operate it and is not a member of the crew.
• scary /ˈskɛə.ɹi/ (adjective) — Causing fear or anxiety
• lesson /ˈlɛs.ən/ (noun) — A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
• hungry /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ (adjective) — Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food.
• shake /ˈʃeɪk/ (verb) — To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly.
• jacket /ˈd͡ʒæk.ɪt/ (noun) — A piece of clothing worn on the upper body outside a shirt or blouse, often waist length to thigh length.
• announcement /əˈnaʊns.mənt/ (noun) — An act of announcing, or giving notice.
• mall /mɔːl/ (noun) — A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct.
• panic /ˈpænɪk/ (noun) — Overwhelming fear or fright, often affecting groups of people or animals; (countable) an instance of this; a fright, a scare.
• airline /ˈɛɹˌlaɪn/ (noun) — A company that flies airplanes to transport people and goods.
• verb /vɝb/ (noun) — A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• ask for (verb) — To request; to order.
• look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
• stay together (verb) — To remain loyal in times of stress or difficulty; to avoid separation despite pressure to do so.
• close in (verb) — To enclose, lock up inside something.
• get on (verb) — To board or mount (something), especially a vehicle.
• call for (verb) — To shout out in order to summon (a person).
• hold on (verb) — To grasp or grip firmly.
• look around (verb) — To inspect a building or area.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 32 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like gate, scare, sweetheart.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video: